Saturday, 10 January 2015
From bikini babe to burka-clad jihadi fighter with a crossbow: 'Wife' of Kosher supermarket killer becomes France's most wanted woman after going on the run
- Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, is the 'wife' of Amedy Coulibaly, who killed a policewoman and four hostages in a kosher bakery
- Coulibaly was then killed as commandos stormed building
- But accomplice Boumeddiene is on the loose and police warn she is dangerous
- Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi also killed as they tried to fight their way out of a print works 25 miles from Paris
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| Hayat Boumeddiene (left) |
Wearing a skimpy bikini with her arms wrapped around her lover's waist, this is Hayat Boumeddiene before she turned into a jihadi killer's accomplice and became France's most wanted woman.
Photographs of the 'wife' of the Kosher supermarket hostage killer reveal how she was radicalised by the man she would go on to marry.
Her husband Amedy Coulibaly is dead, one of the three terrorists who brought France to a halt in 48 hours of bloodshed.
Now, 26-year-old Boumeddiene is on the run and is believed to be 'armed and dangerous'.
Coulibaly died in a hail of bullets along with four hostages in the storming of the Jewish supermarket.
But Boumeddiene may have eluded capture during the confusion as the hostages were running away, police said.
The couple 'married' in a religious ceremony after Boumedienne, who was never seen without her veil, waited four years for him to come out of jail following his conviction for armed robbery.
The couple were never married in a civil ceremony – the only marriage legally accepted in France.
While Coulibaly had a well documented track record, Boumeddiene tonight remains a shadowy figure.
But it’s becoming clear that the one-time cashier was radicalised after meeting the man she would marry.
She is from an Algerian background and altered her surname to ‘make it sound more French', according to an investigating source.
She told police who interviewed her as part of their inquiries into Coulibaly’s murky dealings with Islamic extremists that she had walked away from a low-paid job as a cashier in the Juvisy suburb of Paris in 2009 and taken the veil. She ‘devoted herself’ to Coulibay.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2903601/Wife-Kosher-supermarket-killer-armed-dangerous-run-police-warn.html
Inside the kosher store siege: First chilling image shows murdered hostage after dramatic standoff ends with deaths of terrorist and 'at least four' captives
- The hostage taker was Amedy Coulibaly, 32, who was responsible for shooting dead a policewoman yesterday
- In the hours after the raid, police stand guard at the store where bodies of the victims are seen lying on the floor
- An Israeli government official said 15 hostages were rescued while French president confirmed four people killed
- Series of explosions rocked the building as armed police launched their raid in the suburb Port de Vincennes
- It comes two days after Cherif and Said Kouachi massacred 12 people at the satirical magazine offices in Paris
This first chilling image shows one of the hostages caught up in the siege at the Paris kosher store lying dead after a standoff between police and the gunman ends in the deaths of four captives.
Amedy Coulibaly, who was killed in the raid, had taken several people hostage - including women and children - and was threatening to kill them if police attempted to storm the Charlie Hebdo terrorists who, at the time, were engaged in a similar standoff with police.
In the hours after the dramatic raid on the store, an Israeli government official said 15 hostages were rescued while French president Francois Hollande confirmed that four people were killed. Meanwhile police stand guard at the store, where bodies still lie on the floor.
The four captives that died were killed when the assailant entered the store and not when police tried to rescue them, according to a Paris prosecutor.
Coulibaly was also responsible for the fatal shooting of a policewoman yesterday. It has now been suggested this attack may have been an aborted attempt to attack a Jewish school.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2903950/First-chilling-image-shows-murdered-hostage-dramatic-standoff-ends-deaths-terororist-four-captives.html
Killers came out guns blazing: Hero hiding in cardboard box guided police by texts as they moved in to take out jihadi brothers
- Lilian Lepere, 27, hid in a box during siege with Charlie Hebdo gunmen
- He was initially trapped inside with father Pascal Lepère who then escaped
- Graphic designer sent desperate text calling for police to take action
- His intelligence input gave police a critical edge in timing the assault
- Al Qaeda brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi were both shot dead by police
- Hostage, Michel Catalano, is believed to have been rescued alive
By Tom Kelly and Jenny Awford and Claire Duffin and Hannah Roberts for the Daily Mail
Holed up in a printworks and surrounded by police, killers Said and Cherif Kouachi were unaware that commandos were being tipped off about their every move.
For, hidden in a cardboard box just yards away was 27-year-old Lilian Lepere.
And he was able to alert police about the location of the gunmen and the layout of the building.
For more than six hours the graphic designer passed on crucial information until the siege ended in a bloody shootout as the terrorist brothers, who had vowed to die as martyrs, burst out from their lair all guns blazing and were mown down in a hail of bullets.
From inside his claustrophobic hideout, Mr Lepere had first sent a text message to his father when the Kouachis took over the print works at Dammartin-en-Goele, a small town just north of Paris.
He wrote: ‘I am hidden on the first floor. I think they have killed everyone. Tell the police to intervene.’
It is understood he was in a locked room. He continued to provide vital information to police and special forces via his phone as snipers took up position on surrounding rooftops and helicopters buzzed overhead.
Mr Lepere emerged unscathed from the shootout and was taken to a psychological assessment unit where it is understood he was to be reunited with his family last night.
A hostage held at gunpoint by the terrorists was also freed. The Kouachi brothers had been on the run since killing 12 journalists and police officers in a terror raid on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Wednesday.
As the huge manhunt for them continued, they dumped their stolen getaway car and fled on foot into a forest 50 miles north of the capital.
This morning they managed to evade the huge police dragnet and just after 8am hijacked a grey Peugeot 206 being driven by a woman teacher near Montagny-Sainte-Felicite, 30 miles north-east of Paris. Jean Paul Douet, the mayor of the village, said a colleague saw the men force the woman into the back seat.
‘She saw their weapons, and in particular their rocket-propelled grenade launcher,’ he said.
The teacher was freed unhurt soon afterwards, then dozens of police cars began chasing the fugitives along the N2 highway towards Paris. During the chase, shots were exchanged.
The brothers dumped their car and fled on foot to a family-run printing company on an industrial estate in Dammartin-en-Goele.
They burst into the business – posing as armed police – and took the company’s boss hostage.
Armed police surrounded the building and sealed off the town of 8,000 people.
All businesses closed, nearly 1,000 children were evacuated from schools and the streets were left deserted except for lines of police vehicles and units of heavily armed officers clad in combat gear. Masked and helmeted troopers with automatic weapons were seen peering out of a blue helicopters buzzing overhead.
Michel Carn, a resident, said: ‘The whole zone is surrounded. We are confined to our homes.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2903870/The-hostage-terrorists-didn-t-know-Print-worker-hid-box-texted-police-Charlie-Hebdo-gunmen-held-boss-captive-final-showdown.html
Ex-Muslim Girlfriend of Murdered Hebdo Cartoonist, “No Moderate Islam”
Jeannette Bougrab was the girlfriend of Charlie Hebdo’s editor-in-chief Stéphane “Charb” Charbonnier and she spoke out about the murders.
In emotional interviews, 41-year-old Jeannette Bougrab said: ‘I always knew he was going to die like Theo Van Gogh (the Dutch cartoonist murdered in 2004).’
‘I begged him to leave France but he wouldn’t. My companion is dead because he drew in a newspaper.’
Miss Bougrab, who had lived with Charb and her adopted daughter May for three years, added sadly: ‘He never had children because he knew he was going to die. He lived without fear, but he knew he would die.’
Proudly, Bougrab added: ‘He died standing.
‘He defended secularism. He defended the spirit of Voltaire. He, in fact, was really the fruit of this ideal of the Republic that we’ve almost forgotten.
‘He died, executed with his comrades, as he would say.’
Bougrab, a member of the French National Council of State who served under Nicolas Sarkozy’s administration has been described as a ‘hard secularist’.
The daughter of Algerian immigrants she is known as a fierce critic of religion, particularly of Islam.
In interviews, she said that…
‘I am here, not as a former government minister, but as a woman who has lost her man, who has been murdered by barbarians.
‘I admired him before I fell in love with him and I loved him because of the way he was, because he was brave. He thought that life was a small thing when he was defending his ideals.’
‘Then I would like that today that it was explained to me what’s happening in France. And I think some will not pursue the adventure of Charlie [Hebdo] because they are terrified, because they are scared for their lives, because it’s now known that today in France you pick up a pencil and that may kill you. That’s it, that’s France today. I don’t know… We must stop being langue de boi [literally, wooden languange, it refers to speaking in a politically correct and vague way], we must stop and say, today there are policemen, innocents in the streets who died, and people who drew who have been killed in France.’
In the past, Bougrab, a member of the center-right UMP party, had spoken out strongly against Islam.
A French minister said there was no such thing as moderate Islam, calling recent election successes by Islamic parties in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia “worrying” in an interview published Saturday.
Jeannette Bougrab, a junior minister with responsibility for youth, told Le Parisien newspaper that legislation based on Islamic sharia law “inevitably” imposed restrictions on rights and freedoms.
Bougrab is of Algerian origin, whose father fought on the French colonial side during Algeria’s war of independence, and said she was speaking as “a French woman of Arab origin.”
“It’s very worrying,” she was quoted as saying. “I don’t know of any moderate Islam.”
France: 82% of people feel Muslims are showing no condemnation of terrorism in France
‘Stop asking me to apologise’ for jihadists, say French Muslims
by Tony TODD France24,
As Muslims demonstrated against the “barbarism” of the Islamic State (IS) group outside the main mosque in Paris on Friday, pressure on the Muslim community to denounce Islamist militancy has been described as Islamophobic “madness”.
Friday afternoon’s demonstration follows this week’s murder of French hiker Hervé Gourdel, kidnapped in Algeria by the militant group calling themselves Jund al-Khalifa, which claims links to the IS group.
Many Muslims in France reacted spontaneously to express their disgust at the brutal killing. Online, the Twitter hashtag #NotInMyName – started by British Muslims to denounce the actions of the IS group – was taken up in France (#PasEnMonNom).
But despite the widespread anguish in France’s large Muslim community – the country’s Muslim population is estimated at upwards of five million, many of them of Algerian descent – expectations in some quarters that they should collectively criticise the extremists have caused a backlash.
‘Ineptitude’
On Thursday the conservative daily Le Figaro ran an editorial calling on Muslims to “take to the streets to denounce these barbarians”.
The same newspaper was blasted for “ineptitude” by its own journalists when it published an online poll asking readers if there had been “sufficient condemnation by French Muslims of the assassination of Hervé Gourdel”. Some 82 percent of respondents said there hadn’t been enough of an outcry. The poll was taken down just hours later.
“This question effectively insinuates that the entire Muslim community is somehow complicit or even complacent when it comes to terrorism,” Le Figaro’s editorial oversight committee (Société des Journalistes, SDJ) said in a statement.
‘Stop asking me to apologise’
Nourredine, a Parisian Muslim of North African descent, told FRANCE 24 on Thursday that he was horrified by Gourdel’s killing – but refused to accept any link between the murder and his religious faith.
“I will not be going to the Paris Mosque (where Friday’s demonstration is due to take place),” he said. “If I had to go, it would be as a Frenchman, horrified at the beheading of one of my compatriots, but not as a Muslim. Are Christians expected to demonstrate against the excesses of the Klu Klux Klan?”
Writing in the Nouvel Observateur weekly news magazine, researcher Moussa Bourekba begged his “colleagues, neighbours and friends to stop asking me to apologise in the name of my religion”.
“These [Islamist] men and women do not worship the God that I worship and I doubt they know him at all,” he wrote. “If the murder [of Gourdel] horrifies and upsets me, it is as a human being.”
“I don’t go around asking Catholics to apologise in the name of all Christians every time there is a paedophilia scandal,” he added. “And I would never ask Protestants to publicly condemn [Norwegian mass murderer] Anders Breivik. Just like these people, the madmen who killed Hervé Gourdel are not of my community.”
‘We are all filthy French’
Earlier this week the IS group urged its militants to “kill a disbelieving American or European – especially the spiteful and filthy French”.
On Friday a group of prominent French Muslims used Le Figaro’s website – which had called on them to “take to the streets” the day before – to respond to the militants’ call to violence in language that explicitly separated their Islamic faith from the murderous language of the IS group.
“No one can assume the right to speak in our name,” they wrote. “And to show our solidarity [with France] in the present dramatic circumstances, it is an honour for us to declare that we, too, are ‘filthy French’.”
They added that the image of French Muslims needed to change.
“Instead of being seen as jihadists or fundamentalists, we need to be viewed as ordinary citizens who want to live in our faith and within the laws of the French Republic.”
As Muslims demonstrated against the “barbarism” of the Islamic State (IS) group outside the main mosque in Paris on Friday, pressure on the Muslim community to denounce Islamist militancy has been described as Islamophobic “madness”.
Friday afternoon’s demonstration follows this week’s murder of French hiker Hervé Gourdel, kidnapped in Algeria by the militant group calling themselves Jund al-Khalifa, which claims links to the IS group.
Many Muslims in France reacted spontaneously to express their disgust at the brutal killing. Online, the Twitter hashtag #NotInMyName – started by British Muslims to denounce the actions of the IS group – was taken up in France (#PasEnMonNom).
But despite the widespread anguish in France’s large Muslim community – the country’s Muslim population is estimated at upwards of five million, many of them of Algerian descent – expectations in some quarters that they should collectively criticise the extremists have caused a backlash.
‘Ineptitude’
On Thursday the conservative daily Le Figaro ran an editorial calling on Muslims to “take to the streets to denounce these barbarians”.
The same newspaper was blasted for “ineptitude” by its own journalists when it published an online poll asking readers if there had been “sufficient condemnation by French Muslims of the assassination of Hervé Gourdel”. Some 82 percent of respondents said there hadn’t been enough of an outcry. The poll was taken down just hours later.
“This question effectively insinuates that the entire Muslim community is somehow complicit or even complacent when it comes to terrorism,” Le Figaro’s editorial oversight committee (Société des Journalistes, SDJ) said in a statement.
‘Stop asking me to apologise’
Nourredine, a Parisian Muslim of North African descent, told FRANCE 24 on Thursday that he was horrified by Gourdel’s killing – but refused to accept any link between the murder and his religious faith.
“I will not be going to the Paris Mosque (where Friday’s demonstration is due to take place),” he said. “If I had to go, it would be as a Frenchman, horrified at the beheading of one of my compatriots, but not as a Muslim. Are Christians expected to demonstrate against the excesses of the Klu Klux Klan?”
Writing in the Nouvel Observateur weekly news magazine, researcher Moussa Bourekba begged his “colleagues, neighbours and friends to stop asking me to apologise in the name of my religion”.
“These [Islamist] men and women do not worship the God that I worship and I doubt they know him at all,” he wrote. “If the murder [of Gourdel] horrifies and upsets me, it is as a human being.”
“I don’t go around asking Catholics to apologise in the name of all Christians every time there is a paedophilia scandal,” he added. “And I would never ask Protestants to publicly condemn [Norwegian mass murderer] Anders Breivik. Just like these people, the madmen who killed Hervé Gourdel are not of my community.”
‘We are all filthy French’
Earlier this week the IS group urged its militants to “kill a disbelieving American or European – especially the spiteful and filthy French”.
On Friday a group of prominent French Muslims used Le Figaro’s website – which had called on them to “take to the streets” the day before – to respond to the militants’ call to violence in language that explicitly separated their Islamic faith from the murderous language of the IS group.
“No one can assume the right to speak in our name,” they wrote. “And to show our solidarity [with France] in the present dramatic circumstances, it is an honour for us to declare that we, too, are ‘filthy French’.”
They added that the image of French Muslims needed to change.
“Instead of being seen as jihadists or fundamentalists, we need to be viewed as ordinary citizens who want to live in our faith and within the laws of the French Republic.”
Bukit Aman sees red over Bangi shop selling militant merchandise
Federal police are expected to come down hard on their counterparts in Selangor following reports today of a shop in Bandar Baru Bangi selling Islamic State (IS) merchandise.A source told The Malaysian Insider that all district and state police contingents had been briefed last year on detecting and reporting militant activities.
"Although this is just a shop which sells T-shirts, flags and caps, but these items are militant-themed and bear the symbols of such group.
"It is tantamount to promoting terrorism and the police in the area should have taken action or alerted Bukit Aman (Federal police)," the source said.
The Malaysian Insider was made aware of efforts by Bukit Aman last year to educate state and district police on being alert about militant activities.
"A hotline was set up for state and district police to alert Bukit Aman should they have any information about such activities, including promoting militancy."
The source said it was disappointing to read about the existence of the shop.
The Star today reported that it was doing brisk business.
“I am doing this for Allah and if I am doing it for Him, I should not be afraid,” the shopkeeper, who declined to be named, told the daily.
From the outside, the shop appears nondescript, belying the controversial items sold within.
Filled with militant-themed flags, T-shirts and caps, the shop sells items bearing the symbols of militant groups, especially the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) and Taliban.
The shopkeeper said he has been operating for three months, with the items made and imported from Indonesia.
The Star reported that the shop seemed to be a hub for militants and their supporters who go there to equip themselves with the latest Isis paraphernalia.
Isis T-shirts are retailing at RM59, while stickers with Isis and Taliban logos are going for RM5 to RM10 each.
Some of the T-shirts were emblazoned with phrases like “Mujahideen cyberspace” and “We declare war against the Zionists”.
“There is a high demand for the merchandise and business is picking up since the store opened three months ago," the shopkeeper was quoted as saying.
He said the shop was a family business. – January 9, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bukit-aman-sees-red-over-bangi-shop-selling-militant-merchandise#sthash.LoU4wtyq.dpuf
Gopal: We mutually agreed to part company
Former Federal Court judge and senior lawyer
Gopal Sri Ram said he mutually agreed to leave the law firm of Soo Thien
Ming & Nashrah as a consultant.
Denying that he was pressured to bow out from the firm following his decision to represent Anwar Ibrahim in the Sodomy II case before the Federal Court, Sri Ram said he was still good friends with the firm.
"Please do not create stories that will affect our friendship," he told Malaysiakini.
Sri Ram said this when asked about a report by The Malaysian Insider that he was pressured to leave the firm for representing Anwar, a move that has surprised many.
He said he has formed his own firm following their mutual agreement for him to leave as a consultant with Soo Thien Ming & Nashrah.
"I just wanted to do cases I liked, so that there is no conflict," Sri Ram said, without elaborating further.
Before entering the judiciary from private practice, he founded the legal firm Sri Ram & Co, whose name remained till today.
Sri Ram was the first to be appointed from private practice straight to the Court of Appeal, in 1994.
Known for delivering judgments immediately after hearing submissions from lawyers, he was not promoted for many years remained an appelate judge.
He was finally appointed to the apex court by former chief justice Zaki Azmi in 2009.
Sri Ram, who is 70, retired as Federal Court judge in 2010 at the age of 66, the mandatory retirement age for judges.
Returning lawyer, critical cases
As
a returning lawyer, he appeared mostly at the Court of Appeal and
Federal Court, on several cases, albeit some controversial ones, in
which he was scheduled to represent Pakatan Rakyat on several election
petition cases.
He also appeared for Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) in its suit against the Selangor government.
However, the biggest surprise was when he appeared as the leading counsel for Anwar's defence team, taking over from the late Bukit Gelugor MP and DAP stalwart Karpal Singh, and senior lawyer and former Bar Council chairperson Sulaiman Abdullah, who had not fully recovered from a surgery.
His move to represent Anwar was heavily criticised.
Responding to the rap, Sri Ram said a lawyer is "like a cab driver, where if someone stops him, he takes them in".
Sri Ram appeared in Anwar's appeal hearing at the Federal Court, where submissions were heard for eight days and for which judgment is still pending.
Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria has hinted that Anwar's verdict could be delivered after six months, citing that judges at the upper courts are given leeway in terms of time to deliver the judgments if the case is complex.
Denying that he was pressured to bow out from the firm following his decision to represent Anwar Ibrahim in the Sodomy II case before the Federal Court, Sri Ram said he was still good friends with the firm.
"Please do not create stories that will affect our friendship," he told Malaysiakini.
Sri Ram said this when asked about a report by The Malaysian Insider that he was pressured to leave the firm for representing Anwar, a move that has surprised many.
He said he has formed his own firm following their mutual agreement for him to leave as a consultant with Soo Thien Ming & Nashrah.
"I just wanted to do cases I liked, so that there is no conflict," Sri Ram said, without elaborating further.
Before entering the judiciary from private practice, he founded the legal firm Sri Ram & Co, whose name remained till today.
Sri Ram was the first to be appointed from private practice straight to the Court of Appeal, in 1994.
Known for delivering judgments immediately after hearing submissions from lawyers, he was not promoted for many years remained an appelate judge.
He was finally appointed to the apex court by former chief justice Zaki Azmi in 2009.
Sri Ram, who is 70, retired as Federal Court judge in 2010 at the age of 66, the mandatory retirement age for judges.
Returning lawyer, critical cases
As
a returning lawyer, he appeared mostly at the Court of Appeal and
Federal Court, on several cases, albeit some controversial ones, in
which he was scheduled to represent Pakatan Rakyat on several election
petition cases.He also appeared for Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) in its suit against the Selangor government.
However, the biggest surprise was when he appeared as the leading counsel for Anwar's defence team, taking over from the late Bukit Gelugor MP and DAP stalwart Karpal Singh, and senior lawyer and former Bar Council chairperson Sulaiman Abdullah, who had not fully recovered from a surgery.
His move to represent Anwar was heavily criticised.
Responding to the rap, Sri Ram said a lawyer is "like a cab driver, where if someone stops him, he takes them in".
Sri Ram appeared in Anwar's appeal hearing at the Federal Court, where submissions were heard for eight days and for which judgment is still pending.
Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria has hinted that Anwar's verdict could be delivered after six months, citing that judges at the upper courts are given leeway in terms of time to deliver the judgments if the case is complex.
Pressure mounts on Penang to implement FOI
Gerakan national legal and human rights bureau chief Baljit Singh criticised the state administration for “freezing” information instead of freeing it.
He jested, in words laced with sarcasm, “They have frozen the information, there are more ice particles on Penang’s FOI than the Disney movie Frozen.”
“So like the theme song in Frozen, the state government must let it go, set the information free.”
Baljit said BN and other stakeholders have given their recommendations on the FOI and it should be enforced by now.
“There was a lot of publicity done on the matter before the 13th general election but that, too, has come and gone. They have won but where are their promises?
“Pakatan Rakyat often criticised BN for promises unfulfilled, but what about this?” he queried.
Baljit (left) noted that the enactment has already been enforced in Selangor although there was less “noise” there about it.He concurs that the officials in Komtar, where the state administration offices are housed, are in “total darkness” regarding the issue until today.
“I want to get details on the third link or the undersea bed tunnel that links the island to Butterworth - what is the status now? Is it going on as announced or not?
“I am also dying to know the tendering process, details of project, reports from the Department of Environment and contracts signed between the parties involved in constructing the third link.
“We will be very grateful to the state government if they can release this information to us in the spirit of the FOI.
“The people want to know as the state administration has proclaimed it’s administration is run based on CAT (competency, accountability and transparency principles.”
‘NGOs are in the dark’
Aliran’s Anil Netto also claims that the NGOs are in the dark over the implementation of the FOI.
“Was it just a gimmick or would be it be implemented to benefit the people?” Netto asked.
Aliran is part of the 14-member Penang Forum who sat in meetings with the state government on the issue and provided recommendations to fine tune the Act.
“What is holding them back? I, too, am in the dark about it. If NGOs are in the dark, what about the public?” Netto asked.
“This is the time to fully enforce the enactment, the state has promised transparency, this is one way to show it,” he added.
Netto said the least the state government can do is update the website as it does not need much resources to implement the law.
He said Penang has many development projects which are very controversial and people want to know the background to these projects.
“What are the status of these projects, the parties involved and how they were approved and who will be affected by these controversial projects,” he said.
“For example, there are claims that the density has increased in Batu Ferringhi. We would like to know how that came about, if it were true,” he added.
A check by Malaysiakini on Jan 5 revealed that the offices of the Penang administration is in the dark over Act which was supposed to be implemented in the state on Jan 2 (Jan 1 is a public holiday).
The law, passed
in the Penang legislative assembly in November 2011 and gazetted in
February 2012, was touted as one of the positive developments in the
state, following a similar enactment in Selangor.When contacted, Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said, “Please give us some time” as details about the matter will be provided soon.
Perkasa man: Umno Youth leader punched me
Saad claimed that Lenggong Umno Youth chief Mohamad Iruan Zulkefli had suddenly grabbed his throat and punched him.
Iruan had earlier told him not to interfere in Umno Youth matters.
Saad (right) said the incident occurred at the Dewan Kampung Kelantan in Lenggong yesterday.In his police report, he said a group of 10 men led by Iruan confronted him.
“In an angry tone Iruan told me to ‘butt out’ of Umno Youth affairs.
“I denied this (claim) but he suddenly grabbed my throat and punched my face.
“His friends then shoved me against the wall,” read the report sighted by Malaysiakini.
Confirming the incident, Perkasa Youth chief Irwan Fahmi Ideris expressed regret that the brawl could happen purportedly over flood aid distribution.
“We are still investigating the cause for this but we deeply regret that such things could happen.
“This is the type of leaders in Umno Youth today, who have no manners or brains,” he said.
He said Malaysia has laws and disputes should not be solved with violence.
Meanwhile, Iruan told Malaysiakini that Saad was pretending and “acting” as if he was badly hurt.
He also dismissed that the Perkasa man sustained “serious injuries”.
“Don’t be an actor. Don’t take advantage and don’t slander,” he said.
Islam, politics and violence in Malaysia
Dr Mashitah Ibrahim at the 2014 UMNO General Assembly meeting
The recent United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) meeting was full of contradictions. While Prime Minister Najib Razak exhorts the need for the government to be more inclusive of non-Muslims while others such as Dr Mashitah, a famous preacher and former junior minister, called for Islam to be protected from the threat of secularism, liberalism and Christianity. From the debate over the usage of the term Allah to describe God in the Malay translation of the bible to the discrimination of the minority Shiite community in the country, the Malaysian government has taken a conservative stance depicting a shift in its own Islamic orientation. Recent revelations that about thirty Malaysians are fighting alongside the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq has further underscored the more conservative turn that is taking place within the Muslim community in Malaysia.
Playing with the fire of Islamism
Since the 1990s, the Malaysian government has attempted to use its own brand of Islamist politics to counter the political threat from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). The Islamisation race between PAS and UMNO led to a series of Islamic policies to be introduced. This race subsided in the mid-2000s mainly due to the strategy of moderation undertaken by PAS. Following the 2008 elections which saw a strengthened Pakatan Rakyat (PR), UMNO has once again focused its rhetoric on the need for the position of Islam to be defended in the country. The debate over the usage of the word Allah in the Malay language bible was portrayed as UMNO’s defence of Islam from the threat of Christianisation in Malaysia. During the 2013 elections, the threat of Christianisation was used as a bogeyman to coax Malay voters to support UMNO.
More recently, UMNO in the state of Kelantan, has openly supported PAS’s plan to implement hudud laws in Kelantan. On its part, PAS today sees the hudud issue as an integral part of its struggle. Since the 2013 elections, many PAS leaders feel that the party’s move away from its Islamist agenda has reduced support for the party. The failure of Anwar Ibrahim to be more consultative in making key decisions for the coalition such as the recent Kajang Move has convinced some in PAS that the party’s future lies in being an opposition party outside the fold of the PR. Interestingly, the conservative turn in both UMNO and PAS have brought their agendas closer. While some observers have argued that this will inevitably lead to a future coalition between PAS and UMNO, sources within PAS noted that a vast majority of PAS members do not support this alliance. As such, both PAS and UMNO will once again engage in an Islamisation race to prove that their respective party is indeed the true champion of Islam in Malaysia.
Normalising intolerance: The chicken has come home to roost
Another manifestation of this conservative turn in Malaysia is the recent discovery that a number of Malaysians were fighting and recruiting for ISIS in the country. ISIS fighters have been adept in using modern technology to spread their message. This could be seen in the case of Mohd Lotfi Ariffin, a former PAS member from Kedah who was fighting in Syria, who regularly posts pictures and videos of himself and other militants, seeking to inspire other Malaysian youths to fight there. Lofti had in July 20 been killed during fighting in Syria. Beyond the power of the social media, a number of Malaysian government policies have been instrumental in creating mind-sets that are fertile for recruitment by extremist groups like ISIS.
Since June 2013, the Malaysian religious authorities and government have been on an anti-Shiite frenzy. The Shiites, which represent the minority sect of Islam, were deemed as deviant and was banned. A number of Shiite religious scholars were detained and their places of worship were shut down. The Syrian conflict further exacerbated this anti-Shiite sentiment. The struggle against the regime of Bashar Al-Assad is portrayed as a holy war against the Shiite “infidels”.
Numerous television programmes, newspaper articles and ceramahs throughout Malaysia were filled with anti-Shiite rhetoric. The anti-Shiite fervour has led to a number of Muslim scholars in the country to declare that it is permissible for Sunni Muslims to wage a holy struggle against the Shiites. While Malaysian government leaders have never themselves called for a violent struggle against Shiites, the anti-Shiite rhetoric provided important religious justifications for some Malaysian youths to fight for groups like ISIS against Shiites in Iraq and Syria.
Likewise, the growth of Salafism in Malaysia is another important factor that has an impact on the strong support that ISIS has received from some Malaysian Muslims. Salafism is a religious orientation denoted by puritan and legalistic interpretation of the Qur’an. Salafis reject interpretations of classical Muslim scholars and seek to rid Islam of any cultural practices that are deemed as innovations. The Salafis are particularly notorious for their fervent rejection of Sufi and Shiite Muslims whom they deem as deviant. While most Salafis belong to the non-violent strand of Salafism, ISIS subscribe to the Salafi-jihadi strand which legitimise the use of violence in the name of Islam. The Salafi-jihadi doctrine argues that given the fact that most of the regimes in the Muslim World are in the state of jahiliyyah (idolatrous condition), it is the duty of all Muslims to rebel using violence to uphold hakimiyyah (God’s sovereignty). It must be added that the boundaries between the two Salafi ideologies are porous and Salafis can easily slide from one group to another. This could be seen from the example of the Salafi movement in Indonesia led by the preacher Jaafar Umar Thalib, which was a politically quietist movement that quickly transformed itself into a Salafi-jihadist movement (Lashkar Jihad) following the collapse of the Suharto government.
The vast majority of Salafis in Malaysia do not subscribe to the ISIS ideology. Nonetheless, the mindset created by Salafism is susceptible for recruitment by groups like ISIS. In more recent times, UMNO itself has promoted the Salafi doctrine through their recruitment of a number of prominent Salafi scholars including Ustaz Fathul Bari, as part of its young ulama wing. These scholars have also formed an organisation, Pertubuhan Ilmuwan Malaysia (ILMU) which has been in the forefront in defending the government’s Islamic credentials. The Salafi ulama are also fervent enemies of the Shiite community in Malaysia. They have gone out of their way to portray the Shiites not only as deviant but a group that seeks the destruction of Islam and the Muslim community. While the ILMU ulama have categorically rejected the ISIS ideology and discouraged Malaysian Muslims from joining the group, the similarities in the mind-set and religious doctrine between ISIS and the Salafi ulama are making some Malaysian Muslims more susceptible to ISIS’ recruitment strategy.
The future of Islam in Malaysia
It is clear that there has been a conservative turn in Malaysia. Nonetheless, there are voices within Malaysia that are now opposed to this conservatism. 25 prominent Malays comprising a number of retired high level civil servants cautioned Malaysian Muslims about the implementation of Islamic laws, and the way Islam is being used to shape public policies in this country. This came shortly after the Selangor Islamic Religious Department issued a fatwa declaring the Sisters in Islam (SIS), a Muslim feminist group as deviant. Indeed, it will take more than just 25 prominent Malays to ensure that this conservative turn will not alter Malaysia’s social fabric. As long as Islam is politicised and puritan understanding of the religion is promoted, Malaysia will see the radicalisation of more Muslims in the country.
Dr Mohd Nawab Mohd Osman is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Malaysia Programme (IDSS) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Mark Zuckerberg reveals Pakistani extremist asked that he be sentenced to death over Facebook's refusal to ban content about Mohammed
- Mark Zuckerberg has responded to the recent tragedy that occurred in Paris by recounting a 2010 incident he had with a Pakistani extremist
- Zuckerberg revealed on Facebook that an extremist in Pakistan fought to have him sentenced to death because Facebook refused to ban content about Mohammed
- Pakistan did end up blocking Facebook in the country over the incident in question, Everybody Draw Mohammed Day
Mark Zuckerberg has responded to the recent tragedy that occurred in Paris by recounting a 2010 incident he had with a Pakistani extremist.
Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook, 'A few years ago, an extremist in Pakistan fought to have me sentenced to death because Facebook refused to ban content about Mohammed that offended him.'
This as a result of the site's promotion of an Everybody Draw Mohammed Day which took place on May 20 of that year.
We stood up for this because different voices -- even if they're sometimes offensive -- can make the world a better and more interesting place,' explained Zuckerberg.
'Facebook has always been a place where people across the world share their views and ideas. We follow the laws in each country, but we never let one country or group of people dictate what people can share across the world.'
The idea for the day came after Comedy Central decided to censor a not-so-flattering rendering of the prophet on their show South Park.
This act was deemed illegal under Pakistani law, where it is a crime to defile the 'sacred name of Mohammed.'
Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2903788/Mark-Zuckerberg-reveals-Pakistani-extremist-asked-sentenced-death-Facebook-s-refusal-ban-content-Mohammed.html?ito=social-facebook
Cops intensify monitoring certain groups
Intelligence network strengthened to ensure all movement of suspected individuals are monitored.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: The police are taking precautionary measures and strengthening national security following the militant-style attacks in France and Australia.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim said although there had been no such threat in Malaysia, police were still taking measures to monitor the activities of certain groups and individuals in the country.
“We have intensified our monitoring and further strengthened our intelligence network to ensure that we are aware of every movement made by the suspected groups and individuals,” he told reporters, here today.
He disclosed this when asked to comment on measures taken by the police following the incident on Wednesday when three armed individuals wearing masks opened fire at the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris, France which left 12 people dead and another three seriously injured.
The incident was described by French President Francois Hollande as a “terrorist attack”.
In Sydney, Australia, two hostages and an Iran-born armed man were killed after Australian police raided a cafe to end the more than 16-hour seige by a suspect who held 17 people as hostages on December 15.
The police have taken measures in curbing militant activities, especially the so-called IS militant group, by detaining 51 Malaysian nationals, so far, who tried to join or help the militant group in Syria and Iraq.
– BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR: The police are taking precautionary measures and strengthening national security following the militant-style attacks in France and Australia.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim said although there had been no such threat in Malaysia, police were still taking measures to monitor the activities of certain groups and individuals in the country.
“We have intensified our monitoring and further strengthened our intelligence network to ensure that we are aware of every movement made by the suspected groups and individuals,” he told reporters, here today.
He disclosed this when asked to comment on measures taken by the police following the incident on Wednesday when three armed individuals wearing masks opened fire at the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris, France which left 12 people dead and another three seriously injured.
The incident was described by French President Francois Hollande as a “terrorist attack”.
In Sydney, Australia, two hostages and an Iran-born armed man were killed after Australian police raided a cafe to end the more than 16-hour seige by a suspect who held 17 people as hostages on December 15.
The police have taken measures in curbing militant activities, especially the so-called IS militant group, by detaining 51 Malaysian nationals, so far, who tried to join or help the militant group in Syria and Iraq.
– BERNAMA
Kit Siang happy to see MCMC chairman gone
Sharil Tarmizi was not firm enough with Utusan Malaysia, Umno hardliners and cybertroopers who abused social media with racist, religious rants.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: The Opposition is not shedding tears over the departure of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi whose contract expired December 31 last year and was not renewed.
“I was not happy with Sharil as MCMC chairman as he had not been firm enough with Utusan Malaysia, Umno hardliners and cybertroopers when they abused the social media with their racist and religious venom and hatred,” said DAP elder statesman Lim Kit Siang in a statement.
“Sharil should have acted firmly against those who had exploited the cyberspace and misused and abused the social media with lies and falsehoods to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension.”
Topping the list of those guilty of transgressions on the Internet in the past few years, when Sharil was MCMC chairman, would be the Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia and the army of Umno cybertroopers who had no qualms or compunctions in disseminating lies and falsehoods on the Internet to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension, reiterated Lim who is also DAP Parliamentary Leader and Gelang Patah MP.
The unhappiness with Sharil spans both sides of the political divide.
Lim noted with a chuckle that Utusan Malaysia editor Zulkifli Jalil said in a commentary that Sharil’s contract was not renewed because MCMC, under his watch, had given free rein to those who had incited racial hatred, thereby failing in its role as a regulator.
Utusan Malaysia, Umno hardliners and cybertroopers would have squealed the loudest if Sharil had acted professionally and impartially against Utusan Malaysia and the Umno cybertroopers, added Lim. “They were the chief culprits in the misuse and abuse of social media to incite racial and religious hatred in keeping with their larger ulterior objective to conjure imaginary fears, threats, bogeys and enemies that the Malays and Islam are under siege and only Umno could save them.”
What Utusan Malaysia, Umno hardliners and cybertroopers want, charged Lim, was for MCMC to harass and victimise pro-Pakatan Rakyat websites while leaving the pro-Umno websites alone, although it were the latter who were most guilty of the inflammatory and incendiary lies and falsehoods on the Internet to polarise the racial and religious situation in the country.
“Does Umno/BN want Malaysia to slide down the slippery slope to be a failed state by appointing an Umno stooge to be MCMC chairman?” asked Lim. “The position of MCMC chairman is much coveted due to its influence in the lucrative awards for communications tower contracts that are to be built in rural areas.”
“Will the appointment of an Umno stooge as MCMC chairman open the floodgates for the parceling out of RM2.2 billion cash-rich opportunities among Umno cronies?”
In the second quarter of this year, pointed out Lim, MCMC will award the contract for 600 towers to be built in rural areas. The contract for the first 400 towers came up to around RM900 million (US$252 million). The next phase will cost more than RM1.3 billion (US$360 million).
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: The Opposition is not shedding tears over the departure of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi whose contract expired December 31 last year and was not renewed.
“I was not happy with Sharil as MCMC chairman as he had not been firm enough with Utusan Malaysia, Umno hardliners and cybertroopers when they abused the social media with their racist and religious venom and hatred,” said DAP elder statesman Lim Kit Siang in a statement.
“Sharil should have acted firmly against those who had exploited the cyberspace and misused and abused the social media with lies and falsehoods to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension.”
Topping the list of those guilty of transgressions on the Internet in the past few years, when Sharil was MCMC chairman, would be the Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia and the army of Umno cybertroopers who had no qualms or compunctions in disseminating lies and falsehoods on the Internet to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension, reiterated Lim who is also DAP Parliamentary Leader and Gelang Patah MP.
The unhappiness with Sharil spans both sides of the political divide.
Lim noted with a chuckle that Utusan Malaysia editor Zulkifli Jalil said in a commentary that Sharil’s contract was not renewed because MCMC, under his watch, had given free rein to those who had incited racial hatred, thereby failing in its role as a regulator.
Utusan Malaysia, Umno hardliners and cybertroopers would have squealed the loudest if Sharil had acted professionally and impartially against Utusan Malaysia and the Umno cybertroopers, added Lim. “They were the chief culprits in the misuse and abuse of social media to incite racial and religious hatred in keeping with their larger ulterior objective to conjure imaginary fears, threats, bogeys and enemies that the Malays and Islam are under siege and only Umno could save them.”
What Utusan Malaysia, Umno hardliners and cybertroopers want, charged Lim, was for MCMC to harass and victimise pro-Pakatan Rakyat websites while leaving the pro-Umno websites alone, although it were the latter who were most guilty of the inflammatory and incendiary lies and falsehoods on the Internet to polarise the racial and religious situation in the country.
“Does Umno/BN want Malaysia to slide down the slippery slope to be a failed state by appointing an Umno stooge to be MCMC chairman?” asked Lim. “The position of MCMC chairman is much coveted due to its influence in the lucrative awards for communications tower contracts that are to be built in rural areas.”
“Will the appointment of an Umno stooge as MCMC chairman open the floodgates for the parceling out of RM2.2 billion cash-rich opportunities among Umno cronies?”
In the second quarter of this year, pointed out Lim, MCMC will award the contract for 600 towers to be built in rural areas. The contract for the first 400 towers came up to around RM900 million (US$252 million). The next phase will cost more than RM1.3 billion (US$360 million).
Book Review: Money Logging
Written by John Berthelsen - Asia SentinelA sad tale of the Asian timber mafia and the man who did more than anything to create it, Abdul Taib Mahmud. By Lukas Straumann, Bergli Books. Softback, 313 pp. Available in major bookstores.
On Oct. 3, 2011, a depressed, paranoid former chief operating officer for a San Francisco-based property company called Sakti International named Ross Boyert slipped a plastic bag over his head, taped it tight and suffocated himself to death in a Los Angeles hotel room. He was 61.
But Boyert, however delusionary he was when he died, left behind him an explosive legacy – the details of virtually all of the properties owned by Abdul Taib Mahmud, the longest serving public official in Malaysia. It is a breathtaking collection according to the documents that Boyert – who was fired by the Taib interests -- gave to a crusading journalist named Clare Rewcastle Brown. They show that Taib, through nominees, family members and other subterfuges, is worth in excess of US$21 billion.
Taib is not mentioned on the Forbes list of Malaysia’s richest, but if he were, he would be worth almost twice as much as the man listed as richest -- Robert Kuok, whose fortune is in property, sugar, palm oil and shipping. He would also be about halfway up the list of the world’s 50 richest billionaires although his name is not mentioned there either. That is because, according to this book by Lukas Straumann, Taib amassed his entire fortune illegally, as undoubtedly a handful of others have around the world that remains hidden. Nonetheless, according to Boyert’s documents and the research by Rewcastle Brown and Straumann, he is an engine of corruption the likes of which the world has never seen.
Taib built his real estate empire in Canada, the United States, Australia and the East Malaysia state of Sarawak on timber. Into the process, in his 33 years as chief minister, he staged some of the most depressing environmental destruction on the planet. An estimated 98 percent of the old-growth timber of Sarawak, a state three times the size of Switzerland, is gone, sold via timber permits to logging companies, many of them connected to him, that shipped the logs to Japan, China and across much of the rest of the world.
Using the documents furnished by Rewcastle Brown, and with considerable additional reporting, the story of Taib’s looting of Sarawak is told by Straumann, the director of the Basel-headquartered Bruno Manser Fund, an NGO named for a Swiss naturalist who fought to save the indigenous Penan tribe from the depredations of the loggers’ bulldozers, and who disappeared into the forest in 2000 and has never been found. It is an explosive book. Taib has threatened to sue Amazon if it distributes it. So far, Amazon has backed away from delivering it.
The book, Money Logging: On the Trail of Asia’s Timber Mafia, published by Bergli Books, also of Basel, tells the story of Taib’s rise to power, starting in 1965 as minister of agriculture and forestry. By the end of that decade, he would be Sarawak’s richest politician. Today he holds interests in property companies that own prestigious buildings in Seattle, San Francisco, Ottawa, London, Adelaide and in Malaysia itself. The major companies he controls through family members or by proxies, according to Boyert’s documentation, include Sakti International, Wallyson’s Inc., Sakto Group, Citygate International, Ridgeford Properties, Sitehost City and literally scores of smaller ones. He is believed to control more than 100 companies.
One of the most important things about this story is that Taib was first anointed by Tunku Abdul Rahman, the father of Malaysia and the country’s first prime minister. Abdul Rahman was followed in office by five other prime ministers who sat in Kuala Lumpur and later the Putrajaya government complex and did nothing about him. It was hardly a secret that he was both looting the country and stealing, on a breathtaking scale, the resources that belonged to the Dayak, Murut, Penan and other local tribes that make up the peoples of Sarawak.
Nothing was done about him because he developed a political machine that could deliver votes to the Barisan Nasional, the ruling national coalition in Peninsular Malaysia. Taib is a Muslim. Most of the Sarawak tribes are either Christian or animist. And, to the government across the South China Sea, it would have been unthinkable to have a non-Muslim government leader in charge. Later, during the current administration of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, it became clear that the Barisan’ very survival depended on Taib and his fellow Kleptocrat, Musa Aman, who continues stealing the people of the neighboring state of Sabah blind, although on a smaller scale.
What’s worse is that Taib’s activities in Sarawak, according to the book, spawned a series of giant timber companies including Concord Pacific, Samling, Shin Yang, WTK and Ta Ann Holdings – all of which have received backing from the international banking community including HSBC and others – and have expanded far outside of Malaysia to Cambodia, Australia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo-Brazzaville, Papua New Guinea and just about every other country with less than reputable governments and tropical timber to loot.
“Virtually all of this timber (from Papua New Guinea) was exported to China in the form of logs and other Asian destinations and the trickle-down of wealth in the country itself remained minimal,” Straumann writes. That is true of virtually every country in which the Malaysia-based lumber companies operated.
There is one more sad corollary to this story. As a Dec. 23, 2014 story in the New York Times about Costa Rica’s rainforests demonstrates, tropical forests will regenerate, and, given the space of time, return to their former state. The forests of Sarawak, if not all of Borneo, once one of the world’s greatest green lungs, will not. Sarawak’s forests are being replaced with oil palm plantations.
Taib has stepped aside as chief minister and is now the state’s governor. He ostensibly is under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission after the Swiss government forwarded allegations to the Malaysians of money-laundering into Swiss banks.
“It is up to his successors (as chief minister) to correct the state’s course of action and the government’s condescending attitude towards its indigenous peoples,” Straumann writes. “Now, the Malaysian judiciary and anti-corruption authorities need to live up to their responsibility. While it is a good thing that Sarawak’s last ‘White Rajah’ has finally stepped down, he does not belong in the governor’s residence. He belongs in jail.”
That last sentence is sadly unrealistic. Malaysia’s anticorruption commission and its judiciary have no intention of doing anything about Abdul Taib Mahmud. He remains far too valuable to the ruling coalition in Putrajaya to keep the state in loyal hands. He has announced plans to build a long series of dams on rivers to supply power that, given Borneo’s state of development, will never be needed. But skimming from the contracts will continue to supply a fortune to Taib and his family.
True Malaysian culture
On Wednesday, 12 people were shot dead as three gunmen attacked the Paris office of French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, in what some now call a militant Islamist attack.
The magazine’s editor-in-chief and four well-known cartoonists, along with two police officers, were among those killed. Apparently, the gunmen claimed to be “avenging the Prophet Muhammad” as they fled the crime scene.
Unfortunately, this tragedy is not an isolated incident. There is now a global trend of young confused Muslims resorting to murder and vengeance in a twisted idea of jihad, justifing their violence in the name of religion.
As the recent government White Paper on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria proves, even Malaysians are not exempt as 39 Malaysians were identified to have been involved in the violent jihadi movement.
This situation contradicts the nature of Islam as the majority of Muslims believe it to be ― the religion of peace. Tariq Ramadan is therefore right to condemn the Charlie Hebdo attack as as a “pure betrayal of our religion,” which we all know to preach compassion and mercy.
In Malaysia, we face a similar problem.
Malay culture is known for its grace and courtesy. Even when expressing disagreement or reproach, Malays are known to use subtle hints, sometimes even invoking poetry in the form of pantun nasihat, in order not to offend their counterparts.
One personal example that I have learned, is that serving food with a stick of lemongrass in the dish is to signal that the host is running out of food and that they are scraping the bottom of the pot. Hence, guests should consider eating less to make sure there is enough for everyone.
These subtle Malay manners seem to have disappeared today. We now have Malay groups publicly offering rewards for slapping women and tainting people’s faces with chicken blood. We also have a former Chief Justice bent on instigating racial and religious hatred by making provocative statements pitting the Chinese and the Malays against one another.
It is extremely unfortunate that these extremist voices are allowed to dominate the public agenda. This is why it is important not only to fight back against these purveyors of hate, but also to replace their agenda with a moderate one espousing peace, harmony and universal Malaysianness. It is dangerous to allow them to define the image of Islam and the Malays. If we do, then it would be a victory for all extremists.
In order to move forward, we need to focus not on primordial traits like ethnicity or religion, but on values ― in particular, the values of compassion, kindness, charity, honesty, justice and benevelonce that every Malaysian shares, regardless of culture.
Perhaps it is also tragic that Malaysians need disasters to remind us of our shared values. It is only when tragedy strikes that we stand together, respect each other more, and readily come to each other’s aid.
Having visited the flood-stricken areas in the East Coast myself, I have seen how thousands of Malaysians of all walks of life and colour have risen above where the government has fallen below expectations. Where the state and federal governments faltered, regular Malaysians in their own capacities took matters into their own hands, gathering whatever resources they could and launched an unorganised (but not disorganised) aid campaign that crossed the boundaries of political partisanship, race and religion.
Now that is true Malaysian culture!
We may have started the year 2015, but old courtesies are never out-dated. While the last year may have ended on a despondent note, this year may be the beginning of better times for our country, provided true Malaysians stand up.
Here’s hoping we always stick to it and not only act like true Malaysians when disasters strike. Happy New Year!
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/dyana-sofya/article/true-malaysian-culture#sthash.UmQGV4uU.dpuf
Malaysia PM condemns Charlie Hebdo murders, touts moderation to fight extremism
Malay Mail (Used by permission)
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak joined other world
leaders today in condemning the terror attack on French satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people.
In
a posting on his Twitter account this afternoon, Najib said Malaysia, a
Muslim-majority country, stands in unity with France after yesterday’s
attack at the publication’s Paris office that has led to vigils around
the world.
“Msia
condemns in the strongest terms all acts of violence. We stand in unity
with the French people. We must fight extremism with moderation,” Najib
tweeted.
Putrajaya said in a statement later that Malaysia “strongly condemns” the shootings.
“Nothing
justifies taking innocent lives. Malaysia is united with the families
of the victims, the government of France, and the French people,” said
Putrajaya.
Elsewhere across the world, other leaders have similarly condemned the brutal murders.
Singapore’s
Straits Times quoted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying: “This
incident is another painful reminder that all countries face a common
threat from terrorism. We support the French Government’s efforts to
bring the perpetrators to justice”.
US
president Barack Obama was reported by BBC News as condemning the
“horrific shooting” and offering to provide any assistance needed to
“help bring these terrorists to justice”.
UK
daily the Guardian quoted Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as
saying that the killings at Charlie Hebdo appeared to be an “attack on
freedom of the press, freedom of ideas, however controversial”.
French President Francois Hollande described the shootings as a terrorist attack of “exceptional barbarity”.
UK’s
BBC News quoted United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon as saying:
“It was a horrendous, unjustifiable and cold-blooded crime. It was also
a direct assault on a cornerstone of democracy, on the media and on
freedom of expression”.
US
news network CNN reported today Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins as
saying that the gunmen had said they were avenging Prophet Muhammad and
had shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is great).
Charlie
Hebdo, which satirises Islam and other religions, has printed a stream
of controversial cartoons of Prophet Muhammad. Depictions of the prophet
are prohibited in Islam.
US
paper the Washington Post reported that Charlie Hebdo’s headquarters
were firebombed in 2011 after the satirical weekly depicted Prophet
Muhammad on its cover saying: “100 lashes if you are not dying of
laughter”.
Media
reports said an 18-year-old suspect has surrendered to the police,
while the two other alleged gunmen are still on the loose.
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